Now & Then
by Just-a-few-words
Summary: He was once candid, eager to learn. He is now jaded and wants to forget. She taught him how to love, now he has to learn how to live.
1. 1 Then

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga. Any characters and plots points associated with Twilight do not belong to me and I do not derive any financial gain from this story. No copyright infringement is intended**

**Author note : This story is loosely inspired from the movie "The Reader" by Stephen Daldry**

* * *

=Then=

"You're beautiful."

"Really?" She replied softly, sporting her usual sad smile. It seemed permanently etched on her face.

Emmett hated her husband for not making her see how special and gorgeous she was.

"Of course." He paused and straightened up before putting away a strand of her hair so that he could better see her joyless honey eyes. "You're the most beautiful woman to have ever walked on Earth."

She laughed her beautiful laugh. Full of life.

"You're cute Emmett." She pecked him on the lips before checking the clock.

"Oh God! I have to go." She said bolting out of the bed and hastily reaching for her scattered clothes.

Emmett didn't bother putting his clothes back on. He wanted to get drowned in her smell which the sheets still carried.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	2. 2 Now

=Now=

His phone was ringing. Again.

He didn't need to pick up to know it was _her_.

She had been trying to get hold of him since he sent her the divorce papers.

"Mr McCarty?" His assistant Lauren poked her head into his office. He nodded to let her know he had heard her. "Your..." She was visibly uneasy. "… wife wants to talk to you. She says it's an emergency."

Rosalie's calling wasn't new as wasn't his answer. "Tell her I'll call her back."

Lauren nodded before leaving his office.

* * *

**A.N.**

Thank you reading.

You can see the link of the banner on my profile.


	3. 3 Then

=Then=

Emmett hated Forks.

He resented his parents for enrolling him in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, sheltered from the world.

It was always raining and to add to his sorrow the nearest city -which he deemed the nearest sign of civilization- was so far-off that every student needed an authorization from the supervisor to "visit" it on the weekends. Besides, the girls' boarding school –also located in remote Forks- was watched better than a facility center, thus nullifying any chance encounter between both genders.

Emmett abhorred the new and smothering environment in which he now evolved.

He was counting the days until summer, which he sadly realized was far away.

* * *

The first time he saw her, he was playing lacrosse.

It was during his PE course in late November and he and his classmates were freezing.

She was wearing a sundress despite the weather. Her brown locks were flying everywhere because of the wind. It was a beautiful sight which caught and captured Emmett's attention.

He felt as if he could watch her for hours, but he got startled and flushed when she suddenly looked his way. He was about to divert his gaze when a man put his hand on the woman's lower back and led her into the school building, thus taking her away from Emmett's eyes.

His attention was brought back to the game when he heard the coach blow his whistle "McCarty! What are you doing? Get into the game otherwise I'll make you run laps until you cannot stand anymore!"

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading :D_


	4. 4 Then

=Then=

The student body had been summoned in the conference room.

The new dean had taken up his duties for a week already but he had yet to be introduced to his students.

Mr Cullen was younger than the previous dean. Emmett even considered him too young to be at the head of such a prestigious school albeit he found him interesting.

However, the young boy listened to Mr Cullen's plans for the school or to his curricular with half an ear. He only had eyes for the brown haired beauty who turned out to be the dean's wife.

Mrs Esme Cullen.

* * *

**A.N.**

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish everybody a successful and happy year 2013.**_

_Thank you for reading ;)_


	5. 5 Now

=Now=

"Emmett, it's Rosalie. Your wife. I just wanted to tell you that the girls are missing their dad and... So do I."

Emmett deleted her message without listening to it in its entirety. He didn't like the fact that she was using their children to get to him.

They had agreed that he would have the children over for the weekends. And every weekend she came up with a new pretext so that he wouldn't be able to see his daughters.

He was tired of her mind games.

He wouldn't call her back this time. He would just wait for her to leave another message in which she'd explain why he wouldn't be able to have his daughters this time.

* * *

**A.N. **

_Thank you for reading :D_


	6. 6 Then

=Then=

"Are you allowed to be here at such an hour young man?"

Emmett looked up and saw that the feminine voice belonged to none other than Mrs Cullen.

He had to look away because he was ashamed and scared that by some miracle she'd somehow know she was the star of his nocturnal fantasies.

He cleared his throat before answering, his eyes still glued to his textbook. "I'm an upperclassman, so yeah... And it's not that late anyway." He finished his sentence mumbling as she sat next to him.

"What are you reading? _Romeo and Juliet_? It must bore you to tears."

Emmett could feel her breath on his cheek. _She must be so close_, he thought. "N-No, I like it actually."

He cursed himself for his stuttering.

"I'll leave you to your reading then."

Emmett went to his dorm less than an hour later. He wasn't able to concentrate knowing she was in the library.

He relieved himself of the desire she had unconsciously awoken in him.

He was glad not to have a roommate.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	7. 7 Now

=Now=

Emmett felt nervous. It had almost been a month since he last saw his daughters and Rosalie.

He wondered what she had told them about his not coming home.

He knocked on the door and was mildly startled when his younger daughter Kathy opened it before jumping in his arms.

Seeing that no one was in sight, he came in.

"Hey Maggie, where's Mom?" He asked his older daughter who was seated on the couch watching TV.

"Upstairs. She said she had a headache."

"Okay. Are you ready?"

She nodded and went to the door.

He was about to ask where were their sleepovers bags when he saw them lying next to the front door.

As he was backing out of the ally, he saw his previous bedroom window curtains being closed.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thanks for reading._


	8. 8 Then

=Then=

Emmett was trying his hardest to win the game.

His team was even with their opponents. One goal would ensure victory for one of the two teams.

He didn't want to win for himself or to be acclaimed by his peers.

He didn't want to win for the school glory.

He wanted to win because she was here.

When he finally scored, he looked her way.

She smiled and he felt as if she knew it was all for her.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	9. 9 Now

=Now=

"Mr McCarty?"

Emmett sighed at his PA's interruption.

"What is it?"

"A call from one Alice Brandon."

"I'll take it. Lauren?"

"Yes sir?"

"Please no more personal calls."

"Alright sir."

He was put on line with Miss Brandon.

"Emmett McCarty speaking."

"It's Alice Brandon. I'm Mrs Cullen's nurse. We've already talked and I'd like to insist on meeting with you."

Her query didn't surprise Emmett. It wasn't her first call. Today however, instead of declining like he would usually do, he decided to agree.

"Okay. What would you say about lunch?" He checked his agenda. "Next Thurday?"

"Sure" She eagerly replied before asking for information about the place and hour of their meeting.

"She'd really be pleased if you came to see her you know?"

"Did she say that?"

"No." She said after a pause.

He sighed. "I'm busy anyway. Well, I've got some work to do so I'll have to hang up."

"Sure. Bye." Emmett hung up before she had even finished uttering her farewell.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	10. 10 Then

=Then=

"Why aren't you at the party?"

Mrs Cullen's voice startled Emmett. The dean had allowed the students to throw a going away party for Christmas but Emmett preferred sitting by himself in the corridor.

"Oh. Uh I'm not going home so I'm not really feeling like partying with the others."

She frowned so he explained. "My parents decided to go on a vacation in Europe. They don't really trust my staying home alone…"

Somehow, saying this was embarrassing. Emmett didn't want her to see him as a boy, as a child. "So… yeah..."

"It's sad. I'm sure they could trust you. You seem to be a good boy."

_Yeah… a good boy_. He bitterly thought. He was 16 and his father was already referring to him as a man. But she was seeing him as a boy.

They stayed together in the corridors. He enjoyed her company and hoped that she did his.

They could hear the pulse of the music from their positions.

Emmett could feel Mrs Cullen's hand next to his and he was itching to touch it.

Footsteps were heard and she suddenly got up. "I'd better get going."

"'Kay."

"Bye..."

"Emmett. I'm Emmett."

"Emmett." She repeated with a smile. "I'll see around then."

He liked the way his name sounded coming out of her lips.

When he went to sleep, he was no longer sorrowful to stay in Forks for the holidays.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	11. 11 Then

=Then=

Emmett had been allowed to go in Port Angeles.

The city was one hour away from Forks but Mr Cullen was permissive and often allowed upperclassmen during school periods -or students who couldn't go home during the holidays as in Emmett's case- to leave the school grounds on the weekends.

Consequently, the young student was in a bookstore purchasing a gift for his father when he saw the dean's wife's familiar silhouette between two rows of books.

"Mrs Cullen?"

"Oh Emmett," She smiled obviously proud to have remembered his name. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?"

"I want to buy this book for my father." He showed the chosen book as proof of his statement.

"Interesting. May I?" She said reaching for it.

"Sure." He let her take it and felt something when their hands touched.

"Asimov? Is your father fond of science fiction?"

"One could say that. This is his favorite book in fact. But my mother has set the previous one on fire because she thought my father was cheating on her." He laughed nervously and mentally slapped himself for talking about his parents' issues. Surely a woman like her didn't care about such trivial things.

Actually, Mrs Cullen was making him nervous. Unknown feelings and sensations were arising inside him because of her. Emmett blushed. "And, hum, may I ask why you're here?"

"I was just bored." She touched the book binding, seemingly lost in her thoughts. She soon came back to reality. "Are you done?"

"I have to pay for the book and then I'll go to the jewelry shop to buy a present for my mother."

"I'll come with you. Who knows, you may need some female advice."

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	12. 12 Now

=Now=

"Mr McCarty? Mr Volturi on line 1."

"Thank you Lauren." Emmett took the call. "Mr McCarty speaking."

"Hello, I would like to know how are things going regarding the case?"

"It's looking good Mr. Volturi. We don't have to worry for the moment as no new element has come up. The hearing is next week and we still have the upper hand. There are loopholes in her statements. Therefore I don't think the judge will rule in her favor."

"Good. I'm glad to hear this."

"Nevertheless Mr Volturi, I'd advise you not to pressurize her. It wouldn't be good for us if she were to add harassing to the wrongful termination."

"Right. Well, keep me updated. Thank you Mr McCarty, you're doing a good job."

"Goodbye Mr Volturi."

12.00 am.

It was Wednesday. Usually Rosalie would have been here with the girls.

Emmett sadly realized that nor Rosalie neither his daughters would appear at his office door this time since he had left their home.

Nonetheless, he sought comfort in reminding himself that it was his choice.

Emmett spent his lunch hour looking through his office bay-window.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	13. 13 Then

=Then=

"You're so funny Emmett."

They were at the library in which they had both been spending most of their time lately.

The library was indeed more often empty than not because of the vacation.

Over the course of their conversations, Emmett had noted that Esme was a cultivated and intelligent woman who had much knowledge on a variety of subjects whether it be plastic art, literature, music or politics.

Emmett cherished the time they spent together.

What he liked the most however was to make her laugh. He felt as if he would never get tired of hearing it.

It was so melodic, so beautiful, so full of life.

He also liked her mouth, the cherry lipstick she wore enhancing its appeal.

It was in the library that Emmett had first kissed her. Her lips had suddenly become close and inviting. Emmett hadn't been able to help himself.

He didn't know how, but in an instant he was kissing her and it was better than anything he had ever imagined.

It seemed she was responding to him but too soon she pulled away.

"I have to go."

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	14. 14 Now

=Now=

"Brother of mine." Emmett was greeted by his brother-in-law.

_It will be one of the advantages of divorcing Rosalie. Getting rid of her brother_. Emmett thought.

"Edward." Emmett took a seat opposite him.

A waitress came and placed drinks on their table.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you while I was waiting."

The remark irritated Emmett but he chose not to say anything and sipped his drink. Cognac.

A woman started singing. It was beautiful.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	15. 15 Then

=Then=

She was avoiding him.

She had stopped coming to the library.

She wouldn't look at him when their paths would cross.

Emmett didn't know what to do.

He wasn't inexperienced with girls by any means. He had already kissed a lot of them.

But they weren't women. They were girls.

Girls who struggled to get his attention back home.

Girls he would only take on a couple of dates.

Girls he didn't really care about.

Esme's ignoring him left him confused, hurt and depressed.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	16. 16 Now

=Now=

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Edward said when he noticed Emmett gazing at the singer.

"Didn't really pay attention."

Edward scoffed and gulped down the rest of his drink.

"My sister told me you've left."

Emmett sighed. He didn't think it was any of Edward's business.

"She's really upset you know?" When he saw that Emmett wasn't going to answer, Edward added. "She wants you to come back."

Emmett sighed again. He didn't know why he had agreed to this meeting.

"When Rosalie wants something, she'll do anything to get it. You know that."

"Why are we here Edward?"

Edward smirked. The Masens' trademark smirk.

Emmett hated this smirk. Another thing he wouldn't miss.

"You love your girls, right?"

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	17. 17 Then

=Then=

"What's going on?"

A crowd had gathered in front of the school around a paramedic truck.

"I don't know."

Emmett didn't have to ask someone else as one of his classmates -eager to share the piece of information he was holding- answered him.

"It's the dean's wife. Apparently she attempted to... you know. And I've been told that it wasn't the first time."

"As if I was going to believe you. Everyone knows that you're worse than women when it comes to gossiping Newton." Emmett had to defend Esme. She seemed perfectly fine to him during the time they had gotten to spend together.

The said Newton shrugged. "Don't believe me if you don't want to. Nurse Stanley told me that. This little mouth of hers can be useful when it's not..."

"I get it Mike." Emmett didn't want to hear Mike bragging about his affair with the nurse. The lesser he knew, the better.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	18. 18 Now

=Now=

Emmett was still enraged by Edward's covered threat.

They wouldn't force him to get back with Rosalie by using his children.

That much he said to his dear "wife" on the phone after he had parted ways with her brother.

When he hung up, he noticed that he had a message on his answering machine.

It was Alice. She wanted to confirm their meeting for the following day.

Emmett sighed. The closer their meeting was getting, the more he wanted to cancel it.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading and reviewing _


	19. 19 Then

=Then=

Emmett had managed to get into the dean's apartments.

He could have gotten kicked out of the school, but he didn't care.

He just wanted to make sure Esme was alright.

His mind hadn't been able to get rest since she had been taken to the hospital. Now that she was back, he wanted to see her. He_ needed_ to see her.

When he finally found her, she was cuddled in a blanket with a book on her lap.

She looked up at him and smiled.

His heart skipped a beat.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	20. 20 Now

=Now=

Alice.

The woman he had pictured and the one who was sitting before him couldn't be more different.

She wasn't tall, had black short hair, a tattoo on her wrist, another on her forearm and numerous piercings in her ears.

In Emmett's mind, she didn't look like a nurse. They hadn't talked beside introducing themselves since his arrival.

The silence was unnerving. Her slurping irritating.

"So… why did you want to meet with me?" Emmett was curt. It wasn't a habit of his but he felt that this would help end this meeting as well as her incessant phone calls.

"Oh. Yeah, right. Hum." She put down her cup of coffee. "Well, I'm working for Mrs. Cullen. I'm her nurse."

"You've already told this."

"She's told me about you… about you and her." He could feel her scrutinizing him. He was a talented lawyer so he was better at this game. He wouldn't let her see how much it was affecting him.

"Yeah?"

She seemed taken aback by his detached answer but kept talking. "I think it'd please her if you came to see her."

"Again, did she tell you that?"

Alice shook her head. Emmett didn't know why but he was somewhat disappointed.

He sighed. "Listen, you've already told me all of this. I don't have time for this. I have a job, a life. I don't know you. Who are you to come into my life and fuck it up?" He got up, threw money on the table. "Leave me alone, okay? And please, don't call me anymore."

At this point, Emmett didn't care if he was attracting attention to them. He didn't care if this place was close to his office and how the two of them must have looked like.

"She's dying."

Emmett already knew this but he still hesitated before leaving.

He did anyway.

Esme Cullen wasn't his problem anymore.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	21. 21 Then

=Then=

"I like it when you come to see me."

Esme had her head resting on his lap. Emmett was happy that they could resume their friendship and act as if his foolish act had never occurred.

Sadly, he knew it couldn't last.

Good things never did.

"So do I. But I don't know if I can keep on coming here. Eventually, I'll get caught." She didn't respond so he kept talking. "I can't run the risk of getting expelled." Emmett knew it would jeopardize his getting into Penn Law. "Every McCarty has been a lawyer since..."

Esme put a finger on his lips and chuckled. "I like your rambling Emmett." She got up and was now facing him. "Do I make you nervous?"

Seeing that he wasn't answering, she said. "Do I?"

Emmett liked this playful side of her. However, as usual, she rendered him speechless.

"Yeah." He managed to stutter.

She did something he had only ever dreamed about.

She kissed him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading :)_


	22. 22 Now

=Now=

"Emmett. Well, I see that I'm still getting your voicemail... We should meet to discuss all this non sense. Call me back. I miss you."

Emmett deleted Rosalie's message. He wasn't going to call her back.

She'd whine, she'd threaten him, she'd plead...He simply wasn't in the mood to hear it all.

Emmett served himself a drink in hopes of alleviating his stress. He still couldn't believe Esme was dying.

This news shattered him and he didn't know why she was still affecting him this way. As if she was still holding the keys of his self.

There was a time when he had pictured them having it all.

Emmett went to sleep, completely hammered, in his cold and empty bed.


	23. 23 Then

=Then=

Meet me in the woods at 6.00 pm, near the late Black's cabin.

Emmett was elated when he found this note in his locker.

The feminine writing left no doubt about its author's identity.

Knowing that he would spend his free time with Esme pleased him greatly.

He couldn't wait for their meeting.

He couldn't wait to see her features, her smile.

He couldn't wait to hear her voice, her laugh.

He couldn't wait to feel her skin, her kisses.

6.00 couldn't come soon enough.

Emmett felt like it was one of the longest days of his life.

* * *

_Thank you for reading_


	24. 24 Now

=Now=

"Why didn't you tell me you were in a relationship with her?"

Emmett was frustrated. He had been sure to win the case during the hearing, he now knew it was a lost cause.

"I didn't think it was important." Mr Volturi's nonchalance sure didn't help the matter.

"Well, I advise you to try and settle it with her. We won't win. I'll call you at the end of the week to see what can be done."

That morning, as was now the habit, he had arrived to messages from Alice and Rosalie.

He wouldn't call them back.

However, he had been surprised to have one from his father.

Emmett sighed and picked up his phone.


	25. 25 Then

=Then=

Emmett and Esme were in their cabin which, away from prying eyes, was the perfect place for their secret rendez-vous.

It was ideal for meeting, reading ... kissing.

Every time Emmett would look at his surroundings, he would be amazed at how Esme had managed to make it homey.

She had brought a heater, a lamp, covers, books and had covered the walls with colored sheets.

One day upon his arrival, Emmett had been surprised to see a cot in the middle of the room.

* * *

_Thank you for reading._


	26. 26 Now

=Now=

"Hey Dad. You left me a message –quite cryptic actually. Is everything alright?"

"Emmett, Rosalie called your mother last night. She seemed pretty upset …" He paused but Emmett didn't say anything. He was waiting for his father to say what was on his mind. "Apparently you left your home."

Emmett wasn't surprised his father was mingling in his personal matters.

He always did.

In his mind, Rosalie was the perfect match for his son. Moreover he surely didn't want the McCarty's name sullied by a divorce.

"I did."

"Why is that?" His father's tone was harsh.

"I don't know..."

"You don't know? You are going to destroy your family and you don't why?! I thought you were smarter than that Emmett. Is there someone else? Is that it?"

Emmett could already feel he was getting a headache.

He sighed again before answering. "Listen dad, I'll call you back."

He didn't wait for his father's reply before hanging up.


	27. 27 Then

=Then=

Even though he was taking a test, Emmett couldn't concentrate.

His mind was full of memories of the previous night.

No longer a boy he was but a man.

He had been a little clumsy. But Esme had put him at ease; she hadn't made fun of him.

She took him seriously.

She saw him as a man.


	28. 28 Now

=Now=

"Hello?"

"Rosalie."

"Emmett..."

"Could you tell me why I just received a phone call from my father regarding our divorce?"

Her silence irritated him. He was sure she was looking for a valid justification.

"You wouldn't answer my calls... and your mother felt something was off when she came to visit me. I had to tell her."

"Sure. That's really mature of you Rosalie. I'm tired of your mind games. Do you hear me?"

"I'm sorry." Her voice was so fragile Emmett regretted his harshness. "I'm a mess without you Emmett... Please come back." She was crying softly but even that wasn't enough to make him change his mind.

"Bye Rosalie."

* * *

**A.N. **

_Thank you for reading._


	29. 29 Now

=Now=

Emmett woke up in sweat.

He knew the source of his distress.

Esme.

As long as she would be a ghost plaguing his mind, he wouldn't be able to rest.

He got up to get some fresh water deciding along the way that he would call Alice.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	30. 30 Then

=Then=

With Esme, Emmett learned the art of love.

Physical as well as emotional.

They would meet in the woods during his free hour. Sometimes she was even bold enough to come into his room late at night.

They would talk and soon they'd be entangled in a passionate embrace.

Emmett was no longer ashamed of his performance as he had learned to please her.

He knew he was in love with the woman.

The fact that he was starting to think that it would be appropriate to marry her once she would divorce her husband was proof of his foolishness.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	31. 31 Now

=Now=

Emmett had called Alice and they had agreed to meet up in a park.

He could tell that she'd been pleasantly surprised when he had called her.

"She talks about you a lot you know? I like to listen to your romance."

Emmett wanted to scoff. It was barely a romance. It had let him heartbroken and disillusioned.

But it was also his fault. He had been naïve.

Looking back, his and Esme's fallout was ineluctable.

He was young, she was mentally sick.

Emmett didn't notice when Alice led him out of the park.

He couldn't tell however how he ended up in front a Victorian white house.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	32. 32 Then

=Then=

"Why did you try to...?" Emmett was playing with her hair. He loved how soft they felt in his fingers.

She looked up at him with her smiling honey eyes. "Yes?"

"Why did you want to...die?"

She sighed. She didn't say anything for so long that he didn't think she would answer. He feared to have upset her.

"Because I'm not enough of a woman." Her words were said in a whisper. He surely wouldn't have heard her if he hadn't been close to her. "I can't bear children."

Emmett didn't know what to say. He knew it would be a tragedy for the women in his mother's circle.

He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't care not to have children if he was with her.

"But you know," She said after some time. "I prefer to be barren. Having a child growing in your womb and raising it with the prospect that one day it will die is the worst thing that could happen to a woman."

She smiled softly at him and snuggled closer.

Emmett held her tighter.

* * *

_Thank you for reading ;)_


	33. 33 Now

=Now=

"You're coming?"

"I didn't say that I wished to see her. I only wanted to talk to you."

"Everyone needs a little push. Come on." Alice turned to face Emmett and smiled. She opened the door of the gigantic house that stood before them.

Emmett followed her inside. It was true he had been delaying visiting her for months.

When Alice ascended the stairs, he kept following her without questions.

Along the way, Emmett avoided looking at the walls. He didn't want to look at the pictures testifying of Esme's life during their time apart.

"Mrs Cullen, you have a visitor." Alice's whispering and the dark room weighted on his mood.

Once Emmett could finally make out Esme's features in the penumbra, he was shocked. Not because she now had wrinkles, not because her hair was not brown as it used to be, neither because she was too thin.

Emmett's breath was taken away because he found her as beautiful as the first time he had seen her during his PE course.

"Hello Esme." He didn't recognize his own voice. He hadn't been this emotive since the birth of his children.

When she looked up, he saw that her eyes were still the same. Honey. Wide. Warm. Loving.

"Emmett? Oh." She sat up straight with difficulty and attempted to rearrange her hair. "You should have informed me of your visit. I would have…"

Emmett interrupted her fussing. "You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

His comment made her laugh. "Still a charmer... Alice!" She rang a little bell.

Until now, Emmett hadn't noticed she had left the room.

"Could you please lead him in the living room and bring us some tea please?"

When they were settled in the living room, it was as if they were back in their cabin in Forks.

They talked about everything.

Some books and songs they wanted the other to discover, the changes in the world, his life, her life.

They didn't talk about Carlisle and Rosalie though.

She was still bearing his name and wearing his wedding band so Emmett knew Carlisle was still in her life.

He also knew she had seen Rosalie's features in his daughters when he'd shown her pictures of them. People liked to say they were the spitting image of their mother.

Too soon, he had to leave and she had to rest.

Emmett left her house with a lighter heart and a smile.

It felt good seeing her again.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thanks for reading._


	34. 34 Then

=Then=

"I won't be coming tomorrow." Emmett said while redressing.

Esme's features hardened. "Why?"

Emmett avoided looking at her face. "We are going at the lake tomorrow."

"Who _we_?"

Emmett sighed. "Me and the guys."

"The guys and_ I_." Her correcting him was irritating but Emmett chose to ignore it. "And I bet the girls from St Port are part of _the guys_." She sneered. "Will the blond one -Rosa? Rosamund? - be there too?"

"Rosalie. Her name's Rosalie." Emmett didn't know why but it bothered him that she got the name wrong. "And yes she's going to be there too."

"Oh. Okay. Well, have a good time then." Esme redressed quickly. She was obviously angry.

"What's wrong with you lately?" He said taking her by her arm before she could leave the cabin.

"I'm not stupid Emmett. You'll go there with your friends and will find a way to isolate yourself with her. I saw the looks you were giving each other at the dance."

Her hypocrisy was unnerving. She was the one who was married.

Her neurosis, which he had appreciated in the beginning, was now tiring him. Almost two years of their relationship had made him realize they could never be a couple. Not a normal one anyway.

He craved normalcy now. He wanted a girlfriend he would be able to take on dates; he wanted a girlfriend he could introduce to his parents.

And it could never be Esme.

"Please Esme. You're the one who told me to get a date. Who do you take me for? And what do you think I'm feeling each time I see you with him or when I see the marks of what the two of you…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"He's my husband Emmett. Let go, you're hurting me."

"Your wish has been granted." He told her before releasing her.

The next day at the beach, he asked Rosalie out.

They quickly became a couple.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	35. 35 Now

=Now=

Emmett couldn't say why he had agreed to meet with Rosalie.

But here they were, having lunch in the restaurant in which they had celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Her choice.

"It feels good to see you again." She said smiling. He noticed that she had lost some weight, that her smile wasn't sincere. "I'm sorry about Edward. He insisted on talking to you."

"It's okay."

"I'm ready to sign the papers." She looked down at her plate and began playing with her food. "I won't keep you from seeing our daughters."

As he had feared, Emmett was at a loss for words. That was why he had primarily refused to meet up with her.

"I have one question though," She looked up and talked after he nodded. "Is there someone else?"

Emmett was tired of people assuming it was the reason of his leaving. But it was the truth nonetheless. "Yes."

Her face crumbled.

"But it was years ago, before us. I don't know, I got news of her and... It affected me."

"Nothing happened?" Her eyes were watery and Emmett hated himself for making her go through this.

"Nothing. I..."

His phone rang.

It was Alice.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	36. 36 Then

=Then=

Emmett was packing when Esme entered his room.

"Are you crazy?!" He said in a harsh whisper. "What if someone saw you?"

"Nobody did." Esme dismissed him. She looked and sounded sad. "You don't come to the cabin anymore. You don't talk to me... You won't even look at me anymore... It's driving me insane." She was getting hysterical and Emmett couldn't have that.

How would he explain the dean's wife presence in his room?

He kept packing anxious to get done. He had a cab to take soon.

"Look at me Emmett."

He didn't.

"Rosalie will be here soon. I'm meeting her family and then we'll go to mine."

"Why are you telling me this?" Esme spat.

She came near him. He could feel how close to him she was.

"Maybe I can say goodbye," She started to fumble with his pants. "In the way you like. Please let me." She said when he attempted to stop her but she still dropped on her knees.

He would let her do this, savor her lips around him. One last time.

He'd deal with the guilt later.

Her hot breath on him was killing him. He wanted her to put an end at his misery.

"I'm sure she doesn't know how to do this."

In an instant, the spell was broken. Emmett pushed her away from him and put his pants back on.

A few minutes later, he was in the cab with Rosalie snuggled at his side.

She didn't seem to notice something was off.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	37. 37 Now

=Now=

"I'm sorry Emmett. She's gone."

The last three words still rang in Emmett's head.

Even at the burial, he still couldn't believe that he would never see her again.

He couldn't grasp the idea of her not breathing, not smiling, not living.

He saw Mr. Cullen at the burial. His traits were tired, his hair white.

He wasn't the young energetic dean of his youth. When he looked at him, Emmett realized that he didn't resent him anymore.

It wasn't his fault if a young pupil had fallen in love with his wife.

It wasn't his fault if Esme hadn't been able to bear children.

The eulogy was perfect.

Obstinate, fragile, beautiful, intelligent and delicate.

Emmett couldn't think of better words than those ones which were often used to describe Esme during people's speeches.

He wouldn't be able to tell if Alice was in attendance.

When Emmett went back home, he was still in a daze.

It may be why he called Rosalie.

She was quick to come.

She let him kiss her and lead her to his room.

She asked her sister-in-law to look after her children and stayed the night.

She held him while he cried.

She didn't ask him why.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading ;D_


	38. 38 Then

=Then=

"This is it?"

Emmett looked up to see Esme awkwardly standing in front of his door.

She was wearing her summer dress. The one she had been wearing the first time he'd seen her.

She had come in so discretely he hadn't even heard the door opening and closing.

"I guess one could say that." He tried to smile.

It had been months since they had last talked. Since the spring break incident.

Now, he was packing for the summer; saying his farewell to the academy.

"I'm sorry." She started to walk toward him.

"What for?"

"For the way I behaved. It wasn't appropriate."

Emmett smiled. Really this time. "It's okay."

"You're really a good man Emmett." Her calling him a man still pleased him. "Really." She said taking his head between her hands.

"Esme..." He wanted to take his head away. She was leaning closer and closer and her grip tightened.

"Shhh."

He stopped resisting and they kissed. It was better than what he remembered.

She was the one to pull back. She looked up and smiled softly. Sadly.

She was out of the door the next minute, leaving him with the image of her back embedded in his mind.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading_


	39. 39 Now

=Now=

Emmett was trying to seem interested in whatever Edward was saying.

If asked he wouldn't be able to say what his brother-in-law was talking about.

Emmett looked next to him to see Rosalie talking with Bella.

She must have felt his stare because she turned her gaze towards him and smiled.

Her attention was taken away when she scolded their eldest for playing with her food.

He wouldn't be able to tell how he went back to live with his family and to have dinner with his in-laws.

Rosalie had been there for him. Emmett still didn't know when he stopped needing her for comfort and started to need her as his wife.

* * *

**A.N.**

_Thank you for reading._


	40. 40 Then

=Then=

Esme was kneeling on the bed. "Do you love me?" She said pointing to her chest.

Emmett nodded smiling.

"How much?" She asked him teasingly.

"Like this?" She said measuring with her fingers.

Emmett shook his head still smiling. He liked to see her in such a good mood.

"Like this?" She said now using both hands to put more distance.

Emmett shook his head again.

"Like this?" She said extending both hands.

Emmett didn't answer and launched himself at her.

"You can't measure how much I love you." He told her before tickling her.

Their laughs could be heard through the woods.

They didn't know it and wouldn't have cared otherwise.

* * *

**A.N.**

_The end_

_Thank you for reading this story._


End file.
